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Benny here –

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In 2000 I went to my first ‘local’ show.  it was in some small town in a scummy vfw hall and the bands were all pretty bad nu-metal  bands… except for this really weird ‘bhudda rock’  band  called *CLONE*.

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They came out in silly uniforms and makeup ( in later shows losing the makeup and switching to black tee shirts that spelled out “F U C K”) and just coated everyone in a slimy sonic barrage of fuzzy pseudo-punk hooks and goof.  I couldn’t put my finger on just why this band was awesome – but the sound hitting my ears just took over.

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Clone was pretty strange; their personalities contrasted in such odd ways yet they managed to make this music in the void of small farm towns down Rt 48. (they hailed from taylorville, morrisonville, and blue mound)

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That summer I went to every show I could.  This was the age before social networking or blogs. they had their own website, the now defunct clonesucks dot com, that was updated weekly with some of the goofiest humor and oddity I can ever remember reading from a band.    (examples headlines: “eat shit and live”, or “just send a fucking pigeon”) This was the band that ushered in my first wave of ‘local’ diy music.

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Over the following years the shows got weirder, the showmanship stranger, and the songs they released got better and better.  They played relentlessly throughout the region and had a very loyal following of rag tags and goof balls.  I always felt at home with these dudes.

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Clone introduced me to other local bands such as The Timmys, NIL8, and Tub Ring.. and to the local scene at large.  They introduced me to Barnfest, which was this huge local festival once a year in the middle of a cornfield.. much debauchery and live music was had.   Some more notable shows they put on were Llamapalooza and Buttfest.  The floor literally bowed up and down 3-5 inches with the movement of crowd at that one.

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Clone played their final show at the last Barnfest 9 years ago… and my first ‘wave’ of local music ended. A few years later  three of the members went on to form a band called Daphne.  Renae’s first tour was in 2006 with Daphne. We called it “Daphne and Renae’s Pretty Pretty Tour.”

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Last weekend they played together on a stage for the first time in nine years at the veiles planet reunion show.  As per usual with these misunderstood gems they played first and played a short set before all of the ‘numetal’ bands took over.

(video of their set here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/31737291)

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Always the underdogs, clone sucked in all the right ways.  Its not just pure nostalgia that makes me say this. Their odd songs still get stuck in my head and I remember every note and mumble my way through every word of their strangeness.

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they recently re-recorded a few songs they wrote before they broke up you can get them here: (https://www.dropbox.com/sh/12qs1xlsa50ezd3/9-VQIvGagg)

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You probably won’t understand their tongue in cheek nature, maybe you had to be there, but I will never downplay the impact they had on me as a musician.

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You can ‘like them on facebook here :  https://www.facebook.com/clonesucked

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these songs are the weirdest and best of their discography.

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Hope you enjoy

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‘eat shit and live’